Residence halls to be named for three of KU’s most generous benefactors

LAWRENCE – The two residence halls under construction on Daisy Hill now have names that honor three of the University of Kansas’ most generous benefactors.

One of the halls will be named after the late Al and Lila Self, the single most generous donors in KU history. The other will be named for the late Charley Oswald, who ranks among the top five donors to KU. The Kansas Board of Regents approved the naming of the halls during its meeting in Topeka on Feb. 11.

“The generosity of Al and Lila Self and Charley Oswald has truly changed the fabric of our university and enhanced the lives of countless students and faculty. It is only fitting that their generosity be remembered through buildings that will house future generations of Jayhawks as they begin their lives on Mount Oread,” said Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little.

The Selfs’ gifts supported students in the STEM disciplines, business and economics, with their final estate gift bringing their lifetime total to $106 million. Oswald’s $22 million in lifetime giving included the creation of four professorships in the Department of Economics, as well as funds for faculty research in the department, along with unrestricted gifts.

The two new residence halls will be exclusively for first-year students and will each house up to 350 students, featuring a variety of suites and spaces on each floor for collaboration and studying. An academic service center and a community kitchen will be in the Daisy Hill Commons, which will connect the two halls and provide gathering spaces for all Daisy Hill residence hall students to socialize and study.

Madison A. and Lila M. Self Hall, the northernmost of the two buildings, and Charles W. Oswald Hall will replace McCollum Hall and are funded by housing revenues. The new halls will be complete and open for the fall 2015 semester.